Christopher Nutting

Updated on Nov 16, 2023

Edit

Comment

Name Christopher Nutting

Prof christopher nutting discusses mouth and throat cancer

Christopher M. Nutting BSc MBBS MD PhD FRCP FRCR ECMO MedFIPEM (born April 5, 1968) is a Professor of Clinical Oncology and medical consultant, specializing in head and neck cancers, who has helped develop Intensity-Modulated Radiotherapy (IMRT), an advanced form of Radiation therapy.

Biography

He received a BSc with 1st class honours (Medicine and Cell Pathology) from University College London in 1989 and Middlesex Hospital, University of London. In 1992, he was awarded a 1st Class MBBS from Middlesex Hospital at the University of London. In 2001 he received a Medical Doctorate (MD Res) at The Institute of Cancer Research, University of London, and he was awarded a PhD from City University London in 2012.

In 2001 he was appointed Consultant Clinical Oncologist at the Royal Marsden Hospital and Honorary Senior Lecturer in Clinical Oncology at the Institute of Cancer Research; in 2002 he was appointed Clinical Director of the Head and Neck Unit at London’s Royal Marsden Hospital. and in 2003 he became National Clinical Lead in Head and Neck Cancer, appointed by the Department of Health (UK) and the Cancer Services Collaborative.

In 2007 he was elected Honorary Faculty member at The Institute for Cancer Research. In 2009 he was appointed Co-Chair of The Clinical and Translational Radiotherapy and Radiobiology Working Group of the NCRI, and between 2006-12 he chaired the National Cancer Research Institute's Head and Neck Cancer Clinical Studies Group (CSG).

Scientific Work

In collaboration with the Institute of Cancer Research, he and his team at the Royal Marsden Hospital have managed a series of randomised trials using IMRT aimed at reducing the potentially debilitating side-effects of radiotherapy treatment for head and neck cancers.

The research has involved three trials – PARSPORT, COSTAR and ART DECO. Each has focussed on different cancer sites respectively to assess the impact in reducing the following principal side-effects - Xerostomia (dry mouth), hearing loss and long-term or permanent damage to the larynx.

The beneficial outcomes in the PARSPORT trial, was instrumental in prompting the UK Department of Health to recommend IMRT to all cancer networks in the UK treating head and neck cancers

In 2014, Professor Nutting was instrumental in the Royal Marsden Hospital and the Institute for Cancer Research being granted Medical Research Council funding to install one of Britain's first MR Linac machines which combines two technologies for the first time – an MRI scanner to precisely locate the tumour and a linear accelerator that will accurately deliver doses of radiation even to moving tumours. The MR Linac will be installed at the Royal Marsden's site in Sutton, Surrey when it becomes available from the manufacturers in 2017/2018.